Wireless and powerline communications in a welding-type system

ABSTRACT

A welding-type system includes a wireless network interface configured to connect a wire feeder or power supply to a wireless network. The wireless network interface is also configured to receive a wireless command in a first format. The wireless command is configured to control the power supply. Moreover, the wireless network interface is configured to convert the wireless command from the first format to a second format. The welding-type system also includes a wired transceiver configured to transmit the converted wireless command across a power delivery cable to the power supply. Furthermore, the welding-type system includes power terminals configured to receive power from the power supply at a level based at least in part on the transmitted wireless command.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/808,445, filed Jul. 24, 2015. The entirety of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/808,445 is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to welding-type systems and,more particularly, controlling power sources remotely.

Welding is a process that has become ubiquitous in various industriesfor a variety of types of applications. For example, welding is oftenperformed in applications such as shipbuilding, aircraft repair,construction, and so forth. The welding-type systems often include powersupplies that may generate power for consumption during the weldingprocess. However, these power supplies may often be remote from a workarea, thereby causing delays if a user changes settings of a powersupply due to travel to and from the power supply to make the changes.

One type of remote control device may include changing power sourcesettings using a pendant that connects to the controlled power supplyvia a multi-conductor cable separate from welding cables. However,generally, a cable used to connect to the remotely controlled powersupply may be fragile relative to welding cables designed to carry highcurrents. Damage to the cable may cause the internal power conductors tobecome shorted. Furthermore, even if the cable were no less fragile thanwelding cables, the additional cables increase weight to be moved duringoperation of the welding-type tools and provide an additional point offailure.

Another type of remote control device may include voltage following orsensing using an internal contactor. However, such systems typicallyprovide no convenient way to adjust the output of the welding powersupply to compensate for changes in workpiece thickness and/or fit up.Often, such systems also use high current DC contactors to de-energizewelding circuits, and such high current DC contactors are relativelylarge, heavy, and costly. Furthermore, such systems remain energizedeven when not currently welding.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

In a first embodiment, a welding-type system includes a wire feeder. Thewire feeder includes a wireless network interface configured to connectthe wire feeder to a wireless network. The wireless network interface isalso configured to receive a wireless command in a first format. Thewireless command is configured to control a power supply. Moreover, thewireless network interface is configured to convert the wireless commandfrom the first format to a second format. The wire feeder also includesa wired transceiver configured to transmit the converted wirelesscommand across a power delivery cable to the power supply. Furthermore,the wire feeder includes power terminals configured to receive powerfrom the power supply at a level based at least in part on thetransmitted wireless command

In another embodiment, a welding-type system includes a power supply.The power supply includes a wired transceiver configured to receivecommands from a wire feeder through a power cable through which thepower supply supplies power to the wire feeder. Moreover, the receivedcommands are wirelessly transmitted to the wire feeder. The power supplyalso includes a power controller configured to change a level of powersupplied to the wire feeder based at least in part on the receivedcommands.

In a further embodiment, a welding-type system includes a wire feedercomprising. The wire feeder includes a wire feed motor and a wirelessnetwork interface. The wireless network interface is configured toconnect the wire feeder to a wireless network and to receive, via thewireless network, a command in a first format. The wire feeder alsoincludes control circuitry having a wired transceiver configured toexchange communications with a power supply through a power cablethrough which the power supply supplies power to the wire feeder. Thecontrol circuitry is configured to determine whether the command relatesto a power level or a wire feed speed. If the command relates to thepower level, the control circuitry is configured to convert the commandfrom the first format to a second format and to transmit the command tothe power supply via the wired transceiver in the second format. If thecommand relates to the wire feed speed, the control circuitry isconfigured to adjust a wire feed speed of the wire feed motor.

DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentdisclosure will become better understood when the following detaileddescription is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in whichlike characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a welding-type systemutilizing wireless communications;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of wire feeder controlcircuitry of the welding-type system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an embodiment of power supply controlcircuitry of the welding-type system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an embodiment of interconnection between awire feeder and power supply of the welding-type system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an embodiment of an image of a working view that may bedisplayed by the display of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is an embodiment of an image of a parameter adjustment view thatmay be displayed by the display of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As will be described in detail below, provided herein are systems andmethods for viewing and controlling power supplies remotely. By viewingand controlling the power supplies remotely, an operator may weld aworkpiece with desired parameters without walking away from theworkpiece. In other embodiments, a welding operator may control theparameters of a weld without spending valuable weld time traveling tothe power supply to view and control the power supply. Thus, theoperator may weld more quickly and efficiently with desired parameters.Furthermore, the operator may confirm welding parameters prior to a weldwithout substantial delay that may be required when having to walk backto the power supply to change welding parameters. Furthermore, byextending connectivity to the power supply to a wireless network, theoperator may control the power supply without being proximate to thewelding-type system or the power supply. Furthermore, a hybrid networkof welding-type power cable communications and wireless communicationscan provide faster wireless connections when two endpoint devicesmaintain a line-of-sight with each other and can provide reliableconnectivity between the devices when line-of-sight deployment isdifficult or impractical.

In some embodiments, a power source\supply may include a wirelessnetwork interface either directly or using a dongle that receivessignals from a pendant or pedal that send digital communication signalsto control the power source/supply. However, in such embodiments, thepower source/supply is often further from the work area than the wirefeeder. Thus, such embodiments, though simple, may not be appropriate inindustrial work areas where line-of-sight issues exist and/or physicalobjects block transmission of signals back to the power source/supply.Instead, in such embodiments, the wire feeder may receive digitalcommunication signals and translate the digital communication signalsinto signals sent over a power cable to the power source/supply. Thus,in embodiments where direct wireless connection between remote deviceand the power source/supply is obstructed or otherwise interfered with,a wireless connection between the wire feeder and the remote device witha bridged connection between the feeder and the power supply/sourceprovides an extended wireless communication range for the powersupply/source wireless control.

Turning now to the figures, FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodimentof a welding system 10 in accordance with the present techniques. Thewelding system 10 is designed to produce a welding arc 12 with aworkpiece 14 (e.g., pipe). The welding arc 12 may be generated by anytype of welding system or process, and may be oriented in any desiredmanner For example, such welding systems may include gas metal arcwelding (GMAW) systems, and may utilize various programmed waveforms andsettings. The welding system 10 includes a power supply 16 that willtypically be coupled to a power source 18, such as a power grid. Otherpower sources may, of course, be utilized including generators,engine-driven power packs, and so forth. In the illustrated embodiment,a wire feeder 20 is coupled to a gas source 22 and the power source 18,and supplies welding wire 24 to a welding torch 26. The welding torch 26is configured to generate the welding arc 12 between the welding torch26 and the workpiece 14. The welding wire 24 is fed through the weldingtorch 26 to the welding arc 12, melted by the welding arc 12, anddeposited on the workpiece 14.

The wire feeder 20 may typically include control circuitry 28, whichregulates the feed of the welding wire 24 from a spool, and commands theoutput of the power supply 16 via communications with the power supply16 over a power supply cable 30, among other things. The power supplycable 30 is used to transmit power from the power supply 16 to the wirefeeder 20. Similarly, the power supply 16 may include control circuitry32 for controlling certain welding parameters and arc-startingparameters and/or receiving changes to such parameters from the controlcircuitry 28 of the wire feeder. The spool will contain a length ofwelding wire 24 that is consumed during the welding operation. Thewelding wire 24 is advanced by a wire drive assembly 34, typicallythrough the use of an electric motor under control of the controlcircuitry 28. In addition, the workpiece 14 is coupled to the powersupply 16 by a clamp 36 connected to a work cable 38 to complete anelectrical circuit when the welding arc 12 is established between thewelding torch 26 and the workpiece 14.

Placement of the welding torch 26 at a location proximate to theworkpiece 14 allows electrical current, which is provided by the powersupply 16 and routed to the welding torch 26, to arc from the weldingtorch 26 to the workpiece 14. As described above, this arcing completesan electrical circuit that includes the power supply 16, the weldingtorch 26, the workpiece 14, and the work cable 38. Particularly, inoperation, electrical current passes from the power supply 16, to thewelding torch 26, to the workpiece 14, which is typically connected backto the power supply 16 via the work cable 38. The arc generates arelatively large amount of heat that causes part of the workpiece 14 andthe filler metal of the welding wire 24 to transition to a molten statethat fuses the materials, forming the weld.

In certain embodiments, to shield the weld area from being oxidized orcontaminated during welding, to enhance arc performance, and to improvethe resulting weld, the welding-type system 10 may also feed an inertshielding gas to the welding torch 26 from the gas source 22. It isworth noting, however, that a variety of shielding materials forprotecting the weld location may be employed in addition to, or in placeof, the inert shielding gas, including active gases and particulatesolids. Moreover, in other welding processes, such gases may not beused, while the techniques disclosed herein are equally applicable.

Although FIG. 1 illustrates a GMAW system, the presently disclosedtechniques may be similarly applied across other types of welding-typesystems, including gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) systems and shieldedmetal arc welding (SMAW) systems, among others. The welding-type systemsmay also include systems that are used in other metal-working processes,such as plasma cutting, gouging, induction heating, and so forth.Accordingly, embodiments of the sensor-based power supply controls maybe utilized with welding-type systems that include the wire feeder 20and gas source 22 or with systems that do not include a wire feeder 20and/or a gas source 22 (e.g., embodiments where the welding torch 26 isdirectly coupled to the power supply 16), depending onimplementation-specific considerations.

Presently disclosed embodiments are directed to remote power supplymonitoring, viewing, and control via one or more wireless networks. Insome embodiments, data related to the power supply 16 may besent/received via one or more wireless networks through a weld cablecommunication channel In some embodiments, the data may be presented tothe operator and/or received from the operator visually or audibly.Furthermore, visual data may include images (or video) of the powersupply 16 taken by one or more cameras showing settings of the powersupply 16. In certain embodiments, the operator may modify parametersremotely based on the presented parameters. For example, in certainembodiments, the operator may issue commands to increase voltage/currentby a relative amount and direction (e.g., +5) or change thevoltage/current to a desired absolute amount. In some embodiments, thecommands may be detected via a camera, helmet, microphone, motionsensors, and other sensory apparatus in a work area where welding isbeing performed. Additionally, some commands may be received via anelectronic device 39, such as a computer, smart phone, tablet, or otherelectronic device capable of receiving input from the operator through awireless device then transmitted to the power supply 16 through a powerline.

In some embodiments, the welding torch 26 includes an interface 40through which the welding torch 26 may receive an indication of a desireto change power settings and/or parameters of the power supply 16. Forexample, the interface 40 may include a trigger, an electronic displaywith a graphical user interface, one or more buttons, and/or any otherinterface that may receive user input to be sent to the controlcircuitry 28 of the wire feeder 20. The commands received at the weldingtorch 26 are transmitted to the control circuitry 32 via the power cable30 using the power line communication discussed herein. In someembodiments, the commands are sent from the welding torch 26 to thecontrol circuitry 32 of the power supply 16 via the control circuitry 28of the wire feeder 20. In certain embodiments, the commands may be sentfrom the welding torch 26 to the control circuitry 28 of the wire feeder20 via a power cable 30 between the wire feeder 20 and the welding torch26 or via wireless communications between a transceiver 42 of thewelding torch 26 and a transceiver 44 of the wire feeder 20. In someembodiments, the welding torch 26 may not have a wireless transceiver42. Instead, in such embodiments, the welding torch 26 may send all itscommands (e.g., trigger depression requested welding-level power) via awired connection, and the transceiver 44 of the wire feeder 20 receiveswireless communications from a smart device 46 (e.g., electronic controlpanel, smartphone, tablet, personal data assistant, laptop, or desktopcomputer). In some embodiments, the control circuitry 28 and/or 32 mayinclude one or more transceivers and/or communications controllers toenable communications over the power cable 30. For example, the controlcircuitry 28 and/or 32 may include a powerline transmitter usingLonTalk® communication language and a LonWorks® communicationscontroller or other communications controllers that can provide signalacknowledgement, signal authentication, and priority delivery. In otherembodiments, other communications controllers may be used in the controlcircuitry 28 and 32 as long as the controllers have at least one commonmode of communication.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, the power supply 16 also includes alow voltage or secondary supply to provide a low, non-welding voltageacross the power cable 30 when the power supply 16 is in a non-welding,stand-by state. The low power supply and main power supply are eachcontrolled by the control circuitry 32.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an embodiment of a configurationof the control circuitry 28 of the wire feeder 20 and its associatedinputs/outputs. As illustrated, the control circuitry 28 includes apower-line transceiver 50 that is designed to transmit and receiveoperational data through the power cable 30. The transceiver 50 receivesoperational set-point data from an interface 52, such as one or morecontrol knobs, buttons, touchscreens, interface 40 of the welding torch26, and/or other suitable inputs. In some embodiments, transmissionsfrom the interface 52 may be first translated from digital to analogformats before being sent to the wire feeder transceiver 50. In someembodiments, wire speed commands received via the interface 52 areforwarded to a wire speed controller 54 via the transceiver 50, thewireless transceiver 44, or directly from the interface 52 to the wirespeed controller 54. The wire speed controller 54 then controls a speedof a motor used to feed the wire to the welding torch 26.

The transceiver 50 transmits operational parameter data in the form of acommand signal to the power supply 16 that embodies the commandsreceived at the interface 52 and/or wireless transceiver 44. The commandsignal may be encapsulated in a defined protocol, such as the LonTalk®protocol, and encoded with a narrow-band binary phase shift keying(BPSK) modulation scheme, but it is contemplated that other modulatingprotocols may be used, such as quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK). Ina further embodiment, narrow-band binary PSK is used to modulate thecommand signal for transmission to the power supply 16 across the powercable 30.

The control circuitry 28 may also include a pair of amplifiers 58, 60connected to the transceiver 50. The amplifier 58 facilitates thetransmission of data out of the transceiver 50 when properly enabled,and the amplifier 60 facilitates the reception of data for subsequentinputting to the transceiver 50 when properly enabled. Both amplifiers58, 60 are connected to the power cables 30 via corresponding weldterminals 62, 64 by a coupling transformer 66. The coupling transformer66 provides galvanic isolation to the weld voltage potential andprovides a voltage level translation for translating the control commandsignal to a level compatible with the weld cables. The couplingtransformer 66 may also provide impedance matching. In a furtherembodiment, an improved signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) can be achieved byadditionally coupling resonant circuits at the terminations of weldcable 16 and attenuating high frequency noise across the weld terminalsof the power source 18.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a block diagram illustrates an embodiment ofthe power supply control circuitry 32 and its associated inputs/outputs.Like the wire feeder control circuitry 28, the power supply controlcircuitry 32 includes a power supply transceiver 68 to facilitatecommunication between the power supply 16 and the wire feeder 20. Thetransceiver 68 is connected to receive voltage and current feedback froma power supply controller 69 through an analog-to-digital converter 70.In this regard, the power supply controller 69, which controls operationof one or more power supplies 16, provides feedback as the voltage andcurrent levels the power supply 16 is providing, which can besubsequently transmitted to the wire feeder 20. Accordingly, the wirefeeder 20 may include voltage and/or current sensors that may comparethe commanded and/or supplied voltage/current levels to sensedvoltage/current levels to determine if the system is operating properly.If the sensed levels do not match the commanded and/or suppliedvoltage/current levels, the interface 52 may provide an alert to theuser.

As referenced above, in addition to operational parameter data, the wirefeeder 20 may also provide a trigger status signal 72 to the powersupply 16. The trigger status signal 72 allows the power supplycontroller 69 to selectively toggle power connection between the powersupply 16 and the wire feeder 20 at the welding level. For example, thetrigger status signal 72 may cause the power supply controller 69 totoggle a contactor that when open blocks delivery of welding power tothe wire feeder 20 and when closed enables delivery of welding power tothe wire feeder 20. In addition to providing a trigger status 72 messageto the controller 69, in certain embodiments, the transceiver 68communicates a command signal 74 to the controller 32 through adigital-to-analog converter 76.

As previously discussed, the power supply 16 may include a primary aswell as a secondary supply from one or more sources. In suchembodiments, the secondary supply may have a secondary contactor. Thesecondary contactor, when closed, closes a secondary power circuitbetween the power supply 16 and the wire feeder 20 across the powercable 30. This secondary power circuit can be used to supply anon-welding power between the power supply 16 and the wire feeder 20.Since the secondary contactor provides lesser voltage, the secondarycontactor may be much smaller than a primary contactor. By utilizing asecondary contactor in addition to the primary contactor, the powersupply 16 can supply sufficient power to the wire feeder 20 forelectronics of the wire feeder 20 without the need for a large opencircuit voltage between the power supply 16 and wire feeder 20, or abattery in the wire feeder 20 to power the wire feeder 20. In analternative embodiment, the wire feeder 20 may include a battery thatstores energy that is recaptured in the welding process (e.g., motionpowered, heat recovery, and/or parasitic charging from an electriccharge).

Similar to the transceiver 50 of the wire feeder 20, the transceiver 68is also connected to weld terminals 78, 80 via a coupling transformer 82and amplifiers 84, 86. The coupling transformer 82 provides similarfunctionality as the coupling transformer 66 in the wire feeder 20. Theamplifier 84, when enabled, supports the transmission of data from thepower source 18 to the wire feeder 20 across the power cables 30. Theamplifier 86, when enabled, facilitates the reception of data from thewire feeder 20 across the power cable 30.

In some embodiments, the control command messages 74 are encapsulated inthe LonTalk® protocol and encoded with a BPSK modulation scheme andtransmitted over the weld circuit using one or more carriers to providea robust communications link between the power supply 16 and the wirefeeder 20. That is, communication between the power supply 16 and thewire feeder 20 is through narrow-band binary PSK digital modulation inthe CENELEC A and CENELEC C bands of operation.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the wire feeder 20 andthe power supply 16 incorporating a transmission assembly 100. The powersupply 16 is operably connected to the wire feeder 20 via weld cables112 and 114 (both included in the power cable 30) to deliver weldingpower to the wire feeder 20. In accordance with embodiments describedherein, the power supply 16 may also provide secondary or standby powerto wire feeder 20. That is, either power circuit 116 may be configuredto provide two outputs or a secondary power supply may be included toprovide a second output of power supply 16 from the power source(s) 18.In either case, power from the power supply 16 is supplied at terminals118, 120 to which cables 112, 114 are connected. As illustrated, thepower supply 16 is equipped with the controller 69 to control thewelding parameters and outputs of power supply 16. Optionally, theinterface 52 may be included so that operators can control power supplyoutputs and modes, wire feed, and other welding parameters from thepower supply 16. User interface 54 may take the form of knobs, switches,buttons, or more advanced controls such as LCD or touch screen displays.

Additionally, the power supply 16 includes the transceiver 68 forcommunication across cables 112, 114 with the wire feeder 20. As shown,the transceiver 68 includes a pair of inputs 130 for receiving data anda pair of outputs 132 for transmitting data. Transmitted data mayinclude control commands from the interface 52 or controller 69.However, in certain embodiments, the transceiver 68 may be a receiverhaving only inputs 130. The transceiver 68 is connected to weld cables112, 114 via the coupling transformer 82.

As described above, the transceiver 68 operates to receive data bydecoding control signals and commands encoded on a carrier wave at agiven frequency applied across either or both of weld cables 112, 114 bywire feeder 20. The transceiver 68 may also transmit information byencoding it onto a carrier wave of a corresponding frequency andapplying the encoded carrier wave across either or both of weld cables112, 114. Thus, operators may set wire feed settings and other controlparameters for the wire feeder 20 via the interface 52. The controller69 receives the settings from the interface 52 and converts them toencodable commands for transmission via the protocol of the transceiver68.

To improve the quality of signal transmission over the weld cables 112,114, a circuit may preferably be electrically connected with the weldcables 112, 114 to improve SNR and/or increase impedance at a frequencyof interest (preferably corresponding to the carrier frequency of thetransceiver 68). Cables of high power systems may exhibit high frequencynoise when conducting power to a load. This noise can be extremelydistortive of data signals transmitted across the cables, significantlylowering SNR. One manner of reducing such noise and thereby improvingSNR is to include a low-pass filter 134 across the terminals 118, 120 ofthe high power system. In essence, a capacitor 134 can act as a low-passfilter, removing noise in the appropriate band by attenuatingfrequencies higher than the frequency of interest. The frequency atwhich the filter begins attenuating or blocking noise may be any desiredfrequency higher than the frequency of interest, and may be within avariety of ranges from the frequency of interest depending upon thebands of noise generated by the power source 18. One of skill in the artwill also appreciate that many types of low-pass filters may be utilizedto reduce or eliminate noise, including both passive and active filters,such as op-amp filters, transistor based filters, and the like.

In addition, those skilled in the art will recognize that the outputterminals 118, 120 of the power supply 16 create low-impedanceterminations on the weld cables 112, 114, which may cause significantinjection loss and result in poor signal quality. This phenomenon mayactually be accentuated by the inclusion of some types of low-passfilters at the outputs 118, 120 of the power supply 16. One method ofincreasing impedance at the terminations of the weld cables 112, 114 forthe transmission frequency is to include a resonant circuit 136 on theweld cables 112, 114 near the terminals 118, 120 of the power supply 16,as shown. In certain embodiments, a resonant circuit 136 of the powersupply 16 may be an LC tank circuit. The inductive 142 and capacitive140 components determine the frequency at which the resonant circuit 136will resonate, with the resistive component 138 adding the peakimpedance. Therefore, by proper selection of these components, the peakimpedance of the resonant circuit 136 may be set at the transmissionfrequency of the transceiver 68, and injection loss is accordinglyreduced.

In some embodiments, the transceiver 68 is configured to transmitcontrol information at a first frequency, and if no response is receivedfrom the wire feeder 20, the transceiver 68 automatically or selectivelyre-transmits the information at a second frequency. Thus, it may bedesirable to simply set the peak impedance of the resonant circuit 136at an average frequency of the frequencies at which the transceiver 68transmits. An alternative to incorporating such a resonant circuit wouldbe to include two resonant circuits, each having a peak impedance at atransmission frequency of the transceiver 68. However, the resonantcircuit 136 may also be adaptable to set peak impedance at multiplefrequencies to match the frequency at which the transceiver 68 (or thetransformer 66 of the wire feeder 20) is transmitting. For example, theresonant circuit 126 may be comprised of two or more resonant circuitscorresponding to frequencies of transmission which are switched orotherwise selectively applied on the weld cables 112, 114 by acontroller of the transceiver 68 or the transformer 66. Alternatively,the capacitive 140, inductive 142, and/or resistive 138 components ofthe resonant circuit 136 could be variable components such that oneresonant circuit 136 could achieve peak impedances at multiplefrequencies.

Similar to the power supply 16, the wire feeder 20 also includes thepower line transceiver 50 having input 158 and output 160 lines coupledto the weld cables 112, 114 via the coupling transformer 66. It isrecognized, however, that the transformer 66 may be merely a transmitterfor uni-directional communication with the power supply 16. As describedabove, communication between the power supply 16 and the wire feeder 20is achieved by transmission of PSK encoded signals over the weld cables112, 114. Preferably, the signals are transmitted via a protocolparticularly suitable for power line transmissions, such as the LonTalk®protocol. Signals transmitted from the transformer 66 to the powersupply 16 may include control commands such as voltage and currentsettings, output modes, trigger signals, ON-OFF commands, and wire feedsettings.

To improve signal quality of both transmitted and received controlcommands, a resonant circuit 144 is connected on the weld cable 112 toprovide increased impedance at its termination. The frequency at whichthe peak impedance is provided depends upon the selection of thecapacitive 148 and inductive 150 components of the resonant circuit 144.Also, to accommodate varying transmission or carrier frequencies of thetransformer 66, the resonant circuit 144 may provide peak impedance atan average frequency, at two or more frequencies, or at variablefrequencies, as described above.

In the embodiment depicted, a voltage setting control 162 and a wirefeed control 164 provide control signals and settings which arecommunicated either to the transformer 66 to be transmitted to the powersupply 16 or to feeder electronics 152, such as the wire feed motor. Theinterface 52 may be bi-directionally connected to the the transformer 66so that control commands from the interface 52 of the power supply 16may be communicated thereto. Thus, when an operator selects a poweroutput or mode for the power supply 16 via the controls 162, 164, theselection is converted to a control command, encoded on a carrierfrequency, received by the transceiver 68 of the power supply 16,processed by the controller 69, and the power supply 16 will accordinglyprovide the selected output (i.e. welding power, standby power, nopower, voltage/current control, constant current, constant voltage,etc). Similarly, whether received from the power supply 16, directlyfrom the interface 52, or the wireless transceiver 44, the wire feederelectronics 152 operate under input parameters.

As illustrated, the wire feeder 20 includes a wireless transceiver 44that extends connectivity to the power supply 16 to devices that maywirelessly connect to the wireless transceiver 44. Additionally oralternatively, in certain embodiments, one or more wireless transceiversmay be located in the power supply 16, the power source 18, the weldingtorch 26, and/or some other location within the welding type system. Insome embodiments, the wireless transceiver 44 may include one or morewireless network interfaces, such as BlueTooth®, 802.11, 802.15.4 (e.g.,ZigBee®), or other wireless network interfaces. In other words, thewireless transceiver 44 provides connectivity to network enableddevices, such as the electronic device 39 which may include phones,tablets, and computers, to connect to the power supply 16 to control thepower supply 16 and/or the power source 18 from a location other thanthe wire feeder 20, the power supply 16, and/or the power source 18. Forexample, a mobile device may be used to disable a power source 18 and/orpower supply 16 when an operator has inadvertently exited a welding areawhile the welding-type system 10 is still active. Furthermore, in someembodiments, the wireless transceiver 44 may connect to a router thatprovides a connection to the Internet. Thus, in such embodiments, theoperator may control a state of the welding-type system 10 from anylocation from which the operator may connect to the Internet. Forexample, the operator may use a web browser or application program tocontrol the power supply 16 and/or power source 18 via the Internet.

As shown, the weld cable 112 provides power directly to the weldingtorch 26 via a power line 166 and the weld cable 114 is electricallycoupled to the workpiece 14 via the line 170. The weld cables 112, 114also provide power to the feeder electronics 152, through the resonantcircuit 144. In some embodiments, the welding torch 26 includes atrigger sensor (not shown) that is connected to the transformer 66 toprovide trigger signal feedback over the weld cables 112, 114.Therefore, the power supply 16 may be switched from a standby or OFFstate to an ON or welding-power state simply by engagement of thewelding torch 26 and/or remote control via the wireless transceiver 44.

FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a process 180 for remotelycontrolling the power supply 16 of the welding-type system 10. The wirefeeder 20 receives, at a wireless network interface of the wire feeder20 and in a first format, a wireless command for controlling a powersupply of the welding type system 10 (block 182). For example, the wirefeeder 20 may receive a lower voltage (e.g., −10V) command through awireless network interface (e.g., 802.11, 802.1, 802.15.4, etc.) Thewire feeder 20 converts the wireless command from the first format to asecond format (block 184). For example, the wire feeder 20 may convertthe wireless command from an understood command in an 802.11transmission format to an understood LonTalk® format (block 186). Thewire feeder 20 then transmits the wireless command to the power supply16 in the second format across a power delivery cable 30 that deliverspower from the power supply 16 to the wire feeder 20 (block 188). Thewire feeder 20 then receives power from the power supply 16 at a levelbased on the transmitted wireless command (block 190). For example, thenew level may be 10V lower than the previously supplied power level.

FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of a process 200 for receiving remotecontrol communications at a power supply 16 of the welding-type system10. The power supply 16 receives a power command from a wire feeder 20of a welding-type system over a power cable 30, where the power commandhas been received by the wire feeder 20 wirelessly (block 202). Thepower supply 16 then, in response to the power command, changes powersettings to match an operational parameter indicated in the powercommand (block 204). The power supply 16 then, using the changed powersettings, provides power to the wire feeder 20 for a welding-typeprocess (block 206). For example, the new level may be 10V lower than aprevious level when the command includes a reduce voltage by 10 voltscommand. In some embodiments, the provided power may be at a level of 0V(e.g., off) by disconnecting the power source 18 from the wire feeder 20or the level may be an idle level lower than a welding level.

Although the foregoing discussion generally relates to welding torches,in some embodiments, wireless transceiver control may be used for anywelding-type tool or accessory associated with a welding-type process.As used herein, welding-type refers to any process related to welding,such as welding, cutting, or gouging. Furthermore, a welding-type toolor accessory may be any tool or accessory using in such processes. Forexample, welding-type tools may include torches, electrode holders,machining tools, or other similar tools that may be used in thewelding-type processes.

Moreover, in some embodiments, the devices in the welding-type system 10may have a priority of communication paths through which to communicate.For example, the devices may attempt to communicate via a wirelessconnection first. However, if no wireless connection between the devicesis available, the signal strength is below a threshold strength, or atransfer speed is below a threshold speed (e.g., speed of wiredcommunications), the devices within the welding-type system 10 mayinstead use the wired connection via a power cable 30.

Additionally or alternatively, the portion of the welding-type system 10(e.g., wire feeder 20) receiving a wireless command may determinewhether the command pertains to the receiving device. For example, thereceived data may have one or more bits that indicate a destination forthe command (e.g., a 0 for the wire feeder 20 and a 1 for the powersupply 16). Thus, the receiving device may determine whether the deviceshould forward the communication through a wired connection (e.g., actas a network bridge or router) by examining a wrapper for theinformation.

While only certain features of the disclosure have been illustrated anddescribed herein, many modifications and changes will occur to thoseskilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appendedclaims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fallwithin the true spirit of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wire feeder comprising: a first wirelessnetwork interface configured to: determine one of a transfer speed or asignal strength of a connection between the first wireless networkinterface and a second wireless network interface of a power supply;receive a wireless power supply command via a wireless network, whereinthe wireless power supply command is configured to control a powersupply; and transmit the wireless power supply command to the secondwireless network interface of the power supply if one of the signalstrength or transfer speed satisfies a threshold; a wired transceiverconfigured to transmit the wireless power supply command across a powerdelivery cable to the power supply if one of the signal strength or thetransfer speed does not satisfy the threshold; and power terminalsconfigured to receive power from the power supply at a level based atleast in part on the transmitted wireless power supply command
 2. Thewire feeder of claim 1, wherein the first wireless network interface isconfigured to: receive the wireless power supply command in a firstformat; and convert the wireless power supply command from the firstformat to a second format if one of the signal strength or transferspeed satisfies a threshold; and wherein the wired transceiver isconfigured to transmit the converted wireless power supply command inthe second format.
 3. The wire feeder of claim 2, wherein the wiredtransceiver is configured to transmit the converted wireless powersupply command using binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulation,quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulation, or M-Ary phase shiftkeying modulation.
 4. The wire feeder of claim 1, wherein the firstwireless network comprises an 802.11 wireless network, an 802.15.4wireless network, or an 802.1 wireless network.
 5. The wire feeder ofclaim 1, wherein the wire feeder comprises a wire feed motor, and thefirst wireless network interface is configured to: receive a wire feedspeed command; and transmit the wire feed speed command to the wire feedmotor, wherein the wire feed motor is configured to alter a wire feedspeed based on the wire feed speed command.
 6. The wire feeder of claim5, wherein the first wireless network interface is configured todetermine whether a received signal is a power supply command command ora wire feed speed command based on one or more bits in the receivedsignal.
 7. The wire feeder of claim 1, wherein the first wirelessnetwork interface is configured to receive a command from a cellularphone, a tablet, or a computing device.
 8. The wire feeder of claim 1,wherein the first wireless network interface is configured to receive acommand from a wireless interface of a welding-torch.
 9. The wire feederof claim 1, wherein the power delivery cable includes a resonantcircuit.
 10. The wire feeder of claim 9, wherein the resonant circuitprovides a peak impedance at a transmission frequency of the wiredtransceiver.
 11. The wire feeder of claim 9, wherein the resonantcircuit provides a peak impedance at a variable frequency.
 12. The wirefeeder of claim 1, wherein the wired transceiver is configured to:transmit the power supply command at a first frequency; receive aresponse from the second wireless interface of the power supply aftertransmitting the power supply command at the first frequency; andtransmit the power supply command at a second frequency if the wiredtransceiver does not receive the response.
 13. The wire feeder of claim12, wherein the power delivery cable includes a resonant circuit whichprovides a peak impedance at a frequency based on the average frequencyof the first frequency and the second frequency.
 14. A power supplycomprising: a first wireless network interface configured to receivepower supply commands from a second wireless network interface of a wirefeeder if one of a signal strength or a transfer speed of a connectionbetween the first wireless network interface and the second wirelessnetwork interface satisfies a threshold; a wired transceiver configuredto receive power supply commands from the wire feeder through a powercable through which the power supply supplies power to the wire feederif one of the signal strength of the transfer speed of the connectionbetween the first wireless network interface and the second wirelessnetwork interface does not satisfy the threshold; and a power controllerconfigured to change a level of power supplied to the wire feeder basedat least in part on the received power supply commands.
 15. The powersupply of claim 14, wherein the first wireless network interface isconfigured to transmit wire feed commands to the second wireless networkinterface if one of the signal strength or the transfer speed of theconnection between the first wireless network interface and the secondwireless network interface satisfies the threshold, and wherein thewired transceiver is configured to transmit wire feed commands to thewire feeder through the power cable if one of the signal strength or thetransfer speed of the connection between the first wireless networkinterface and the second wireless network interface does not satisfy thethreshold.
 16. The power supply of claim 15, wherein the wiredtransceiver is configured to: transmit the wire feed command at a firstfrequency; receive a response from the second wireless interface of thewire feeder after transmitting the wire feed command at the firstfrequency; and transmit the wire feed command at a second frequency ifthe wired transceiver does not receive the response.
 17. The powersupply of claim 15, wherein the first wireless network interface isconfigured to couple the power supply to one or more remote devices. 18.The power supply of claim 17, wherein the first wireless networkinterface is configured to receive wire feed commands from one or moreremote devices.
 19. The power supply of claim 14, wherein the firstwireless network interface is configured to receive a command from acellular phone, a tablet, or a computing device.
 20. The power supply ofclaim 14, wherein the power delivery cable includes a resonant circuitconfigured to provide a peak impedance at a transmission frequency ofthe wired transceiver.